Sanders Should Be Back for Hurricane and That Will Help the Run Attack

STILLWATER – It’s the question all Oklahoma State fans had on Saturday night before kickoff and then certainly afterwards. The Cowboys’ 23-16 close call with Missouri State certainly wasn’t backup quarterback Shane Illingworth’s fault. For the second season in a row, Illingworth stepped in when needed and got the job done. This time with more prep and the advanced knowledge he would be the guy. Illingworth went 22-of-40 for 315-yards with one touchdown, should have been two, and with one interception, could have been two. He had a passing efficiency of 124.4. Sanders’ efficiency last season on the whole was 145.45.

Sanders is the Cowboys’ starting quarterback and if not for being in COVID-19 protocol would have started against Missouri State.

“We're hoping that he'll be back,” Gundy said shortly after saying he didn’t really want to talk about injuries or in this case, COVID protocol. “He'll be fine. I really can't say because you never know how those things will turn out, so I just prefer not to guess one way or the other."

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Sanders was part of the “cake crew” for Mike Gundy’s brithday in fall camp.

Sanders missed a week-plus of practice as the minimum protocol would be seven days and could be as long as 10 days. More, I guess, if for some reason he can’t pass post protocol tests. I had a question that I thought made sense. Anyway, Sanders has been able to get somewhere that he could run around a little and even throw the football. You could throw at a target.

"I need to ask what CDC guidelines are on that, on throwing a football while you're in protocol,” Gundy poked with some fun at my inquiry. “Spencer kind of hangs by himself, he's probably been somewhere. It is dove season, so he could have been dove hunting by himself or he could have been flinging the ball around to somebody for all I know. He's done it (throwing) so much, I mean he's fine. He'll be fine. I think he's going to be fine, and I think he's going to be back. I just can't say that because we have a very strenuous introduction back into our team from that, and sometimes they say he's not ready, and sometimes they say he's ready. That's not me making that decision."

You know Sanders must be frustrated and dying to get back out there. He put in all the work and was a week away from answering all the questions that have been repeatedly asked about him in the offseason. He’ll likely only get two real practices and three walk throughs or so to be ready for his season opener.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Sanders had a strong fall camp.

“Oh, he's had so many practices, he should be fine,” Gundy added. “We run the same plays we've run here forever, and he ought to be fine.”

One area he should help will be the running game, the biggest sore spot from the first game. Sanders won’t be the primary runner, but with him in the backfield, defenses have to account for his running ability and that should help the line and backs crank up a rushing attack that never got going against Missouri State.